Syria Druze rebels say ready to join a new national army

Two rebel groups from Syria's Druze minority said on Monday they were ready to join a national army after Islamist-led opposition fighters toppled president Bashar Al Assad last month.

The new Syrian authorities face the mammoth challenge of rebuilding state institutions shaped by the Assad family's repressive five-decade rule, including the army and security apparatuses that have all but collapsed.

"We, the Men of Dignity movement and the Mountain Brigade, the two largest military factions in Sweida, announce our full readiness to merge into a military body... under the umbrella of a new national army whose goal is to protect Syria," the groups from south Syria's Sweida province said in a joint statement.

They added, however, that they would categorically reject "any factional or sectarian army used as a tool in the hands of the authorities to suppress the people, as was the case with Bashar Al Assad's army."

"We as military factions have no designs or roles in administrative or political affairs," they added, calling for "civil and political work in a participatory manner that places the human being at the centre of priorities".

"It is our role to commit to protecting public facilities and ensure their stability until security is established in the country," they added.

The new leadership last month unveiled a plan to dissolve the myriad of armed groups operating in Syria and integrate them into the military.

When Assad fell, the province had witnessed anti-government demonstrations for more than a year.